Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)

[galaxychaser]

Yay for a hospital birth and a healthy mom and baby! 

The new parents look 16. Gah I’m old. 

[sondraK]

1 hour ago, Heathen said:

Some of those photos are creepy -- Kelly's melted clown face, Gil's disembodied head, to name two. 

ROFL.That sounds like something out of a horror movie

[BigBingerBro]

3 hours ago, Heathen said:

Some of those photos are creepy -- Kelly's melted clown face, Gil's disembodied head, to name two. 

ITA - It's like screenshots of a teenager's attempt at a horror film.

[Tasya]

Kelton definitely pings just as high as Josiah and TFDW. 

[irisheyes]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Good lord.  The last thing I wanted when I was in labor was someone taking pictures!  

[BitterApple]

Those pictures look like stills from a low-budget Sci-Fy network horror movie. 

[Heathen]

3 hours ago, Tasya said:

Kelton definitely pings just as high as Josiah and TFDW. 

He doesn't ping for me at all. I just see "dumb hick." 

[BetyBee]

They do look young, but so did my husband and I when we first reproduced in our mid twenties.  That fresh faced look doesn't last forever.  My grandson looked at our wedding photos and said, "That's you?  It doesn't look like you!"  

[Westiepeach]

11 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

Yay for a hospital birth and a healthy mom and baby! 

The new parents look 16. Gah I’m old. 

You’re not that far off. Josie is only 19!

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, BetyBee said:

They do look young, but so did my husband and I when we first reproduced in our mid twenties.  That fresh faced look doesn't last forever.  My grandson looked at our wedding photos and said, "That's you?  It doesn't look like you!"  

These two aren't both in their mid 20's though.  As noted above, Josie is still a teen and Kelton is 24.

Edited July 21, 2019 by doodlebug
Didn't realize Kelton just had a birthday

[Spencer Hastings]

Gosh, they look so young!  I’m surprised that Kelton is 24, his cheeks are still hanging on to the baby fat.  

[Totally]

I thought the first photo was two boys hugging weirdly

[FizzyPuff]

14 hours ago, doodlebug said:

These two aren't both in their mid 20's though.  As noted above, Josie is still a teen and Kelton is 24.

Gosh these two could have 19 kids or more 😮

[Heathen]

6 hours ago, Puffin said:

Gosh these two could have 19 kids or more 😮

I believe Josie had her first even faster than her sister Alyssa did -- nine months v. eleven or so. So much for Josie having a career or life of her own. Why did she even waste spend her time and someone else's money on getting a cosmetology degree? 

This depresses the shit out of me. 

[sondraK]

Beauty school was just filler time till Josie gets her real lot in life,her limited choice of being a wife and mom.At least she can do all their haircuts now

[lascuba]

On 7/21/2019 at 2:21 AM, Heathen said:

He doesn't ping for me at all. I just see "dumb hick." 

Something about his face just screams, "loud, obnoxious jock" to me. 

[galaxychaser]

Rodriguez posted a signing video. Jill is in the middle looking like a raccoon with dentures singing about Jesus. 

[ginger90]

3 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Rodriguez posted a signing video. Jill is in the middle looking like a raccoon with dentures singing about Jesus. 

You shouldn’t be alone with this 🤣

[galaxychaser]

The kids look like they want to run away and escape! And too skinny 😫😫😫😫. 

[GeeGolly]

Jill looks like an over enthusiastic pre-school teacher leading 3 year olds in song. 

With an extra side of crazy.

[Sew Sumi]

Thanks a lot. I can't unsee/hear that mess o' Jesus.

[wait.what]

The girls look like they are trying to smile, be sweet and be extremely enthusiastic while singing. Looks painful. Who is the daughter in the red with the overly emphasized larger than life mouth?

I grew up in a conservative Christian church and to be honest, this looks like what I sat through every third Monday night (sing night). It wasn’t the worst I have ever heard. 

Why does everything have to be so severe? Clothes, hair, makeup, mannerisms?

[EmeraldGirl]

Ok, the skinny stuff is still really bugging me! What about bread, oatmeal, grits? Cheap but filling food?  She can’t even really be trying to feed them. 

[louannems]

3 hours ago, galaxychaser said:

The kids look like they want to run away and escape! And too skinny 😫😫😫😫. 

They've been on the road in the RV, doing hot tent revivals, for over a month now.  Jill has bragged multiple times how extremely well-fed they are.  The kids have never felt so full.

Edited to add that the church ladies have been feeding the huge Rod family.  I've listened to their videos and most are truly awful!

Edited July 23, 2019 by louannems

[mynextmistake]

On 7/20/2019 at 7:38 PM, irisheyes said:

Good lord.  The last thing I wanted when I was in labor was someone taking pictures!  

If someone had tried to take pictures of me when I was in labor, I would have hurled their camera at their face.

It is sweet to see the husbands being supportive of their wives during labor. Mine fell asleep, then when he woke up he turned the heat in the room up to 75 because he was cold. When I complained I was hot, he said “why? All you’re doing is lying there.” (No, he’s not normally an asshole.)

[GeeGolly]

In a post on Josie's Instagram she thanked someone for taking pictures. It appears she hired someone.

[Barb23]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

In a post on Josie's Instagram she thanked someone for taking pictures. It appears she hired someone.

Kelly or whoever wrote the post tagged Tarynager Photography at the end.  I wonder if they are the official photographers of the Bateses or if Josie & Kelton found them.  Either way, I don't think the pictures turned out that great. Hoping they didn't have to pay a lot for them. 

[Natalie68]

On 7/19/2019 at 4:38 PM, Lunera said:

Wow.  She is a very pretty girl (the mom).  Not a fan of the middle name because it would sound better being Kristine but whatevs.  

[beagletime]

17 hours ago, ginger90 said:

You shouldn’t be alone with this 🤣

The boys look positively mortified.  They are all nice looking kids.  The hair, makeup and styling makes them look bizarre.  These four don't look unhealthy skinny to me.  It's the dark circles, sunken eyes and complexion that looks unhealthy.  

[PradaKitty]

It could be the lighting, but they all look jaundiced. 

[sleepysuzy]

CPS showed up at the Rod home, according to Jill, and someone also called police on them in Florida about the kids. She posted a long diatribe about the kids being naturally thin and well-fed, and about having multiple visits from CPS over the years that have cleared them of abuse or neglect. 

[galaxychaser]

The only one who is well fed is David.

[mynextmistake]

6 minutes ago, sleepysuzy said:

CPS showed up at the Rod home, according to Jill, and someone also called police on them in Florida about the kids. She posted a long diatribe about the kids being naturally thin and well-fed, and about having multiple visits from CPS over the years that have cleared them of abuse or neglect. 

I’m not buying it. Neither Jill nor David have the body type of a naturally thin person, so I don’t see where the kids would have gotten it from. Plus they just don’t look like healthy, naturally thin children. 

[Natalie68]

18 hours ago, ginger90 said:

You shouldn’t be alone with this 🤣

That is some enthusiastic singing!!!!  Best I could say about it.

[farmgal4]

On 7/19/2019 at 9:19 AM, libgirl2 said:

How sad that they are so pro-life yet opposed to adoption. What do they think would happen to unwanted babies?? 

Hypocritical af.  These fundie assholes make me sick.

[Heathen]

2 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

Wow.  She is a very pretty girl (the mom).  Not a fan of the middle name because it would sound better being Kristine but whatevs.  

It's after his mother, who died in childbirth. Whatevs. 

[farmgal4]

47 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

The only one who is well fed is David.

Jill is also well-nourished.  She’s not overweight, but she looks like she has plenty to eat.

The video of them singing is absolutely horrible.  One or more of them was off-key throughout  the entire song.  Pretty sure one of them was Kaylee.

[Annb67]

55 minutes ago, sleepysuzy said:

CPS showed up at the Rod home, according to Jill, and someone also called police on them in Florida about the kids. She posted a long diatribe about the kids being naturally thin and well-fed, and about having multiple visits from CPS over the years that have cleared them of abuse or neglect. 

Yeah, ok. Thank you Jenelle Eason.

[doodlebug]

2 hours ago, mynextmistake said:

I’m not buying it. Neither Jill nor David have the body type of a naturally thin person, so I don’t see where the kids would have gotten it from. Plus they just don’t look like healthy, naturally thin children. 

Even if somewhere in their family there is someone with a naturally very thin body type, it seems virtually impossible that all 13 of those kids inherited that instead of Jill's more medium build or David's tendency towards obesity.

I'd love to hear what exactly was reported to the CPS in Florida and by whom.  Would also love to see the social services report.  None of it is any of my business, of course, but I'd love to see a social services professional's take on this bunch.

Their singing is mediocre at best.  I have no idea why any church would pay them to come and sing.  Surely there are much better options out there.

[riverblue22]

I agree that the children seem too thin, but I did notice that Jill looked extremely thin in her wedding photo.  Of course she probably starved herself leading up to the ceremony~

[Heathen]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Even if somewhere in their family there is someone with a naturally very thin body type, it seems virtually impossible that all 13 of those kids inherited that instead of Jill's more medium build or David's tendency towards obesity.

I'd love to hear what exactly was reported to the CPS in Florida and by whom.  Would also love to see the social services report.  None of it is any of my business, of course, but I'd love to see a social services professional's take on this bunch.

Their singing is mediocre at best.  I have no idea why any church would pay them to come and sing.  Surely there are much better options out there.

Pity. Maybe those churches figure they can at least show the children some kindness and a full meal. 

[BitterApple]

My nephew has a naturally rangy build, but even when he was a kid, he never looked sickly. He had healthy color and plenty of energy. The Rod kids look like they'd snap in half if the wind hit them. They're definitely malnourished.

[JoanArc]

4 hours ago, sleepysuzy said:

CPS showed up at the Rod home, according to Jill, and someone also called police on them in Florida about the kids. She posted a long diatribe about the kids being naturally thin and well-fed, and about having multiple visits from CPS over the years that have cleared them of abuse or neglect. 

Starvation is a natural state, just not a healthy one.

[ginger90]

5 hours ago, sleepysuzy said:

CPS showed up at the Rod home, according to Jill, and someone also called police on them in Florida about the kids. She posted a long diatribe about the kids being naturally thin and well-fed, and about having multiple visits from CPS over the years that have cleared them of abuse or neglect. 

When was this?

Edited July 23, 2019 by ginger90

[Sew Sumi]

I was just coming here to mention this. The CPS home visit couldn't have been recent; Timothy hasn't lived at home for almost a year. He apparently answered the door.

No clue when the RV visit happened either, other than it was during a stay in FL. 

Edited July 23, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[GeeGolly]

Didn't the oldest boy pick his grandfather for his birthday date? And now this one picks his brother.

Wake up JillR, your poor kids don't have any friends.

Edited July 24, 2019 by GeeGolly

[McManda]

Wait, the blonde Rod boy is 16 year old Philip? And the darker haired boy is 15 year old Samuel? Philip looks like he's younger than Samuel.

And Samuel is a pretty conventionally attractive kid, and especially for a Rod kid. He actually looks like he's not so malnourished.

[PradaKitty]

Jill, those boys are not handsome. Perhaps with more weight on them, and the indoor pallor removed, they could be considered attractive. 

Right now, I would refer to them as skeletal. 

[3 is enough]

Let's not forget that the camera tends to make people look bigger than they actually are.  Those kids must be even skinnier in person.  Poor kids.

[Temperance]

Anna Duggar's oldest sister Esther Shrader is pregnant with #12. She and her husband are missionaries in Africa and he writes poetry.  

Esther Keller Shrader is the oldest of the 8 Keller kids. Then it's Rebekah and Daniel (who are not fundie), Priscilla Waller (married to David), Anna Duggar, (married to Josh), Suze (not fundie), Nathan (courting Nurie), and David.